House dust mite (Dermatophagoides) allergy is a hypersensitive reaction to proteins present in the excretion products of house dust mites and can result in respiratory insufficiencies such as airway obstruction and bronchial hyperreactivity. Such hypersensitive reaction is called “dust mite induced respiratory insufficiency” in the present document. House dust mites are found in almost all homes. The excretion products of dust mites can form a serious threat to those sensitive to said excretion products as well as to critically ill patients. The dust mites are not visible to the unaided eye, and thus difficult to detect in the house.
In the study by Mihrishahi et al. (J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2003; 111:162-8) no benefit on symptoms by actively avoiding house dust mite was found. Presently an important treatment of dust mite induced respiratory insufficiency is symptom prevention by the administration of e.g. bronchodilators.
From several studies in the last years it is now suggested that there is a role for probiotics in the management of food allergic disease in infants. WO 2005/039319 discloses the use of B. breve with non-digestible oligosaccharides for normalisation of the Bifidobacterium population on a species level in non-breast fed infants.
DE 102006005404 discloses the use of immune modifying gram positive bacteria for the use of allergy.
EP 1 230 932 discloses transformed bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus or Streptococcus, the bacteria having a DNA molecule that includes (1) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a protein allergen and (2) a promoter operably linked to the nucleotide sequence.
WO 2007/105945 discloses a food or supplement for pregnant women comprising water soluble, non-digestible saccharides, to improve the flora and/or immune system and to improve the intestinal flora of the infant after birth.
WO2006/123230 discloses an immunogenic composition, comprising at least an antigen and at least an adjuvant that is a bacterium selected from a Bifidobacterium and a lactic acid bacterium, to elicit antigen-specific immune tolerance.